During phase one the Office of Environmental Quality would introduce a recycling and reduction program. Phase two would require a ta or refund of plastic bags handed out in stores. Then the all out ban would come in.

The Office of Environmental Quality says not only do plastic bags contribute to an unsightly litter problem, but manufactoring them drains natural resources. To make 100 million plastic bags it takes 430,000 gallons of oil. That adds up to 1.6 billion gallons every year in the United States alone.

Other cities like San Francisco and Seattle have banned the use of plastic bags at stores, but the ordinances have faced legal challenges from the plastics industry as well as residents who didn't want to pay for the program.